Dive Brief:

• A new survey by ISC2 found only 10% of cyber professionals are women.

• The survey consisted of more than 14,000 IT security professionals in developed countries.

• An earlier ISC2 report found that 62% of organizations say they need more IT security personnel.

Dive Insight:

ISC2 said the number is down from 11% two years ago.

"It is certainly alarming to see it go down to 10%," said ISC2 official Elise Yacobellis. "We have a huge workforce shortage. If we brought more women into this field, I believe that gap would lessen.”

The tech industry has been under fire for its lack of diversity in the workforce, as workforce composition disclosures by tech companies have shown low percentages of women in technical roles.

Earlier this month, a former Microsoft employee filed a lawsuit against the company claiming it discriminates against female employees in technical and engineering jobs. The lawsuit accuses Microsoft of paying women lower wages and promoting them less than their male peers. Twitter was the focus of a similar lawsuit earlier this year.

"We're committed to a diverse workforce, and to a workplace where all employees have the chance to succeed," a Microsoft spokesman said.

Microsoft's workforce is currently 76% male.

"Companies are saying that they want to hire more women in information security and have more women at the most senior levels, but I don't often see them making the investments they need to ensure that," said Joyce Brocaglia, an executive recruiter and founder of the Executive Women's Forum for information security professionals.